Yes, the Form 471 window is closed, but there is an important task still ahead of you…Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act. Sound familiar? Well, if it does (or if it doesn’t) now is the time to act, if you haven’t already.

It’s official…The Form 471 window for Funding Year 2012/2013 opened today at noon EST. Only 71 days left to get ‘er done!

In all seriousness, you will be hearing A LOT from your dedicated CSM team members in the coming weeks. Rest assured, they are not being pests, but they are committed to ensuring we have all of the information we need in order to accurately and timely file your applications.

Have you ever wished you had a ‘voice’ with the Administrators of the E-Rate program? Ever wanted to stand up and be counted? Well, here’s your chance.

Background: At CSM, we often take part in proceedings initiated by the FCC or USAC to change or improve the program by requesting that stakeholders offer opinions or suggestions as to how the proposed…

At long last, the FCC has released their requirements for certification of CIPA compliance on Form 486, Receipt of Service Confirmation Form…and it’s pretty straightforward.

First and foremost, the ‘new’ certification will be applicable for Funding Year 2012/2013 so Form 486 applications certified for funding years prior to that will not be affected. However, since they are giving everyone…

CSM staff and Senior Staff from USAC were in Los Angeles last week for the Annual Spring “Service Provider” training event. Some interesting facts were presented by Mel Blackwell, Vice-President of the Schools and Libraries Division, and we wanted to pass those along to you, our valued clients.

First and foremost, it looks as though the ‘late’ opening and closing of the Form 471 window ultimately…

It’s official. The Form 471 window for 2011/2012 applications has CLOSED! Congratulations to all of you for hanging in there and for helping ensure the students you serve have access to the most advanced and robust technology available. Please know that WE greatly appreciate your diligence and commitment.

Well, the last two weeks of the 2011/2012 E-Rate window are suddenly upon us and we have entered the proverbial time continuum in which these 14 days seem like 14 minutes.

To that end, your dedicated CSM team has been working hard to button up any ‘loose ends’ so your Form 471 application(s) can be submitted and certified in a timely manner. The new forms require quite a bit more specific…

CSM staff were in attendance at the kickoff of USAC’s Annual Fall Applicant training in Washington D.C. last week and were present as many of the details of the FCC’s 6th Report and Order were unveiled. There were many welcome changes as well as some that were confusing and frankly, somewhat concerning.

As we discussed in our September 24 alert, the highlights of the Order were discussed…

As we discussed on Wednesday (9/22/10), the FCC gave us a peek at the body of the initial, formal reform package that we have been anxiously awaiting. Yesterday (9/23/10), the Federal Communication Commission approved (with dissent) a landmark Order that set in motion the first in a series of changes targeted to meet the goals of the National Broadband Plan by expanding and simplifying the E-Rate…

Welcome to our new “E-Rate Alert” notification system. We will use this system to alert our valued customers when we feel there is something of value to pass along that is E-Rate related. We will not use this system to inundate you with emails, but we do feel it is valuable to have our own way of notifying our customers when there are things happening that may affect you and explain what the potential…